Me, Myself and I
Designing a space for students to self-reflect through self-portraiture.
Author: Nicole Maria de Menezes Supervisor: Eric Snodgrass, Wendy Fountain Examiner: Mathilda Tham
Term: VT19
Subject: Design+Change Level: Bachelor
Course code: 2DI67E
Bachelor’s Thesis Spring 2019
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Me, Myself and I
Designing a space for students to self-reflect through self-portraiture.
Nicole Maria de Menezes Linnaeus University Design + Change
Contents
Introduction & Context
Theoretical Backgroung and inspiration Design Areas
Workshop Design Collaborative Design Critical Design
Design Process Prototyping
Questionnaire Development Workshops Development Advertisement
Results
Further Development Evaluation
Limitations/Opportunities Conclusion
Appendices Tools
Exhibition Reflections Pictures
References
4 6 9 9 10 11 11 12 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 23 25 28
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Introduction &
Context
As a painter, to me art is a tool to be used as a change agent, a means for creators of art to make new thoughts flourish, and to help viewers to wonder. Art is a way for the artist to share ideas and opinions on society and provide a gateway to another world. It also gives the opportunity to see the world around us more clearly. Art is able to help us to challenge norms imposed by society, and thus permits us to avoid the negative consequences that they can create. It unveils problems that we did not know existed and it gives us the tools to find solutions and remedies to solve them. “Since time immemorial, art has existed as long as man. It is a huge part of our culture which shapes our ideas, and vice versa, provides us with a deeper understanding of emotions, self-awareness, and more. […] Through art we gain a better understan- ding of cultures, history and tradition; as well as help
the people in the present weave their own today.”
(Accent Frame and Art Blog). If art truly is a change agent for society, then it holds that painting and paintings can serve as the material and/or process to bring society to new understandings and norms.
Without a path for evolution and change, painting may not be a sustainable art form. I am confident that this is not the case, as it has been proven from our past that humans and art go hand in hand. Art is pulling humans towards the future, encouraging the evolution and development of ideals and understanding of the surrounding environment.
In this project I worked on the exploration of Self-reflection, “the inspection and evaluation of one’s thoughts, feelings and behavior, and insight, the clarity of understanding of one’s thoughts, feelings and behavior” (Grant et al. 2002, 821) through the creative process of self-portraiture. The inspiration to connect painting to Self-reflection came from art therapy, as “it is a form of expressive therapy that uses the creative practice of making art to improve a person’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being” (Art Therapy Blog). My project and art therapy share some basic arguments, for example in entrusting art as an expressive medium with great benefits, and the fact that the participants do not need to be artists
to experience improvements. There are also great differences, however, such as the focus of the practice is not based on the result of thecreated piece and the “readings” of it from a therapist, like in art therapy. Instead the practice is based on the process of self-reflection and insight perfor- med during the exercises and the understanding of how to perform said process in the most advantageous way in relationship with student’s ha- bits of these practices and painting.
The practices of self-reflection and insight, when correctly pursued, can improve one’s clarity and
stability and when exercised with painting, self-portraits specifically, they can improve the overall experience by contributing to the benefits of the general experience.
Overall, my experience with painting has been very positive. I define myself as a creative person: despite periods when I am busy with other tasks, I always go back to creating more art. However, it was not until Spring 2019 that I started to use creative processes as an opportunity for self-a- nalysis. While investigating my choice of a subject for the Thesis Project, I experimented with various visual art media. I painted a self-portrait in oil paint, and was obliged to look at my reflection during the entire process.
I avoided the usual distractions of music or television, which usually ac- company my painting. To my surprise, I obtained very good results – both in terms of the quality of the pain- ting and my self-analysis. It was as if concentrating on my own reflection kept my thinking flow from escaping elsewhere. Instead, having to look back at myself every now and then helped me to focus my
concentration, and be less distracted
by random thoughts. In the past
during other non-self-portrait painting, my thoughts roamed freely. Although that might be pleasant, I found that it was not as rewarding, personally, and certainly less promising for the outcomes of my painting. It became important to me to share this concept with others, even if I was not certain that they would enjoy the practice to the same degree I did. I decided to try to create a space for others to experience the process for themsel- ves and decide whether or not it was meaningful.
In 1498, Albrecht Dürer painted “the first independent self-portrait ever produced”, initiating what would later become its own genre and category of painting (Ariella Budick, Financial Times). Prior to this, Renais- sance artists rarely represented themselves in their works, other than hiding a small depiction of their ap- pearance in the background, or in a crowd in the painting, if even at all (Kim Hart, Artsy). I decided to use self-portraiture as the artistic method for the Project because I wanted to find out if the process of focusing on one’s own face, for example, by staring into a mirror, and using tools and materials to transfer this image to paper, had the ability to improve Self-reflection and insight.
Connections between self-reflection and insight to art have been
documented and are backed by research. The mirror may represent the connection between our outer self and inner self, as it gives one the chance to look into one’s own eyes, which “are the mirror of the soul and reflect everything that seems to be hidden; and like a mirror, they also reflect the person looking into them.”
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“As a number of scientists have noted, research on the human brain is complicated by the fact that the brain is struggling to understand itself. This three-pound organ is perhaps the only bit of matter in the universe—at least as far as we know—that is observing itself, wondering about itself, trying to analyze itself, and attempting to gain better control of its own capabilities” (Edwards XXII, 1999).
Research shows that the two different sides of the brain can work on different tasks at the same time.
People are, therefore, in theory and in practice, able to self-analyze their own self-consciousness, while at the same time, making art, or specifically, while painting a self-portrait. My project was thus based on scientific theory, summarized in the following research study by Edwards (XII), “What is important is that incoming information can be handled in two fundamentally different ways and that the two modes can apparently work together in a vast array of combinations. Since the late 1970s, I have used the terms L-mode (Left brain) and R-mode (Right brain) to try to avoid the location controversy. The terms are intended to differentiate the major modes of cognition, regardless of where they are located in the individual brain” (Edwards XXII, 1999).
Theoretical Background
& Inspiration
Does self-portraiture have the potential to guide us through Self-reflection and insight?
(Paulo Coelho, Manuscript Found in Accra). The reflection in a mirror, however, may not be what other people are looking for when they try to be introspective. This entire project, however, is a result of a self-reflective process. Design made it possible to collect all of the ideologies and allowed me to discover a way to bring it to society. Design has the capacity to build a network between the two worlds, between the inner and outer self, to help me help others to use art for beauty and so much more. Thus, my research question became:
During the three years I have spent studying Design + Change at Linnaeus University (LNU), I have
learned to appreciate the importance of each and every choice I make in my learning process. Every variation, no matter how slight, had the potential to change the outcomes of my projects, making it essential for me to consider the relative impact of every alternative before I took action. The results I have achieved by practicing the analysis of my paths in Design+Change projects, has inspired me to apply the same process to my life.
By systematically considering and evaluating the different options and the reasons behind my preferences of one choice over another, I have learned to make more thoughtful decisions. Most importantly, I have learned how to assess the accuracy of my reasoning in choosing the best options. I have also learned how to inspect the impulses and inclinations of my emotions and taken the time to interpret them. I have acknowledged how often I relied more on feelings than logic to make decisions.
Research shows that decision making in general and this behavior specifically is common among young people (Abdurachmanov, 2016) , which can put students at risk of negative outcomes as they cope with a university experience: adapting to a new lifestyle, taking on increasing responsibilities and facing the high stakes of educational
outcomes, just to name a few.
Dr. Barbara Oakley, Professor of Engineering and co-creator of Learning How to Learn, outlines two different types of thinking: focused and diffuse mode. According to Oakley, when in focused mode, “a person consciously works on a problem and concentrates her attention on learning
something. In diffuse mode thinking, the brain continues to work on a problem subconsciously.
Neuroscientists tell us that you can only be in one mode at a time.” (Bella Abdurachmanov, 2016) She suggests that not only can people reach an answer in diffuse mode thinking, not just focused mode, they may only reach an answer at times, when they are in diffuse mode. She further suggests that when people are faced with a tough choice, allowing for both focused and diffuse mode
thinking may be necessary.
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“Diffuse mode is helpful when we need to exercise creativity and come up with solutions that we haven’t consciously thought of before. Giving students time to ponder information is important, especially when it comes to making a decision.”
There are many ways to activate diffuse mode – but it generally involves giving the mind a break from concentrating too much on the problem. For this reason, adopting the habit of Self-Reflection, could benefit most students. By being exposed to Self-reflection, being trained to practice it, and putting it to use regularly, most students could benefit. Notably, the practice of Self-reflection, when used thoughtfully, and consistently, could potentially improve one’s life both in the work-study space, and in terms of general wellbeing. The
target group for this project, therefore, was students at LNU, as I wanted to include people who, like me, have been facing new responsibilities and who will soon enter, as Erik Erikson’s stages of human
development defined in 1975, the phase of
“Settling down” after the studies.
From my experience, Self-reflection is better
executed while the brain is focusing on a practical task, allowing ideas to flow, and offering potential opportunities to guide the process. An example of such a task, to be combined or paired with
Self-reflections, is making visual art. While a person draws or paints, their mind may wander.
They may need to be ‘entertained’ by another source, for example, by listening to music or watching television. While these distractions may be most commonly used, it may also be very helpful for the individual to practice Self-reflection, which could inspire both practical and
metaphorical results. While their attention is focused on the art the individual is creating and the mind does not actively think about what it is doing, it becomes free to ponder. This could help to
activate diffuse mode thinking., which is turn helps to activate creativity.
Drawing and painting provide an opportunity to express oneself and communicate what words cannot. The creative process of making art taps into one’s self-conscious in a way that a person cannot when they are talking or thinking.
Design Areas
When self-reflection is practiced at the same time, it can give the best combination of outcomes. While doing both self-reflection and self-portraiture can seem difficult, and even more complicated when done simultaneously, the results can be
positive, especially with external support. This
thinking underlies my logic for holding workshops for the students. By facilitating the three workshops, I gave students a space for Self-reflection, through painting a self-portrait, with minimal risk of negative consequences. In this safe environment, where I, as a facilitator, was able to learn how to improve the experience, I was also able to introduce the
participants to a new concept.
Workshop Design
The reason why I chose workshops as a fundamental factor in my project is that, “it provides a way to create an intensive educational experience in a short amount of time, when the time for a more comprehensive effort may not be available […] It’s a great way to teach hands-on skills because it offers participants a chance to try out new methods and fail in a safe situation.” (Community Tool Box). This combination of factors is optimal to the purpose of my project:
creating a safe space, introducing people to a new concept, taking into consideration my time constraints.
The workshops aimed to involve a maximum of six people, in order to retain the intimacy aspect. My role as facilitator was to guide the participants in this first experience of introspection through painting. I addressed the artistic aspects, making sure they understood that the end result was not relevant and I then guided them to explore a process through self-portraiture. For the most part, this became a self-esteem boost because people created something, they did not know they were capable of creating (Art Therapy Blog).
I incorporated a simple restriction for the completion of each task.
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For example, I asked them to paint only with their non-dominant hand. I felt this simple restriction would push the participants to be more daring with the final outcome and release them from the
pressure of completing something aesthetically pleasing. I also hoped that it would help them realize unrevealed insights about themselves, recreating not only their image, but the underlying emotions and feelings as well. By asking the
participants to define themselves visually, I hoped to assist them to make the connection between the self-portraiture practice and introspection. I addressed the metaphorical practice by assuming the role of guide, introducing the participants to self-reflection and insight with the experience and knowledge that I gathered through my research and personal experience. I also used the workshop as a space for me to learn, as a designer, how to contemplate complex ideas and how to deliver them in a way that the participants could engage with and are motivated to participate.
By holding a series of three workshops my aim was to focus on space for improvements, asking for feedback directly from the participants and analyzing their responses. I included an exercise structure suggested by a classmate, in which participants began with shorter tasks and
progressively were given more time. I studied this structure through a krooki session (a study group with a naked model that holds poses for people to draw and sketch with the purpose of studying the anatomy). I found that it was well-suited to ease into the mindset of drawing and sketching, and hoped that it would have the same effect in the workshops.
Collaborative Design
By working in a close relationship with the participants, it was possible to exchange and view perspectives on the topic, creating a learning experience for everyone at the workshop, especially me. Because the workshops were progressive the process allowed the sharing of these understandings. As a designer, my role was to focus on finding a way to complement people’s insightful perspectives of the project to conceive the most perceptive practice.
Without this behavior, incorporating the aspect of collaborative design would become useless.
The participants had a space to share their thoughts during the workshop itself, but also later when I sent them open questions on the
experience to share feedback after the third workshop.
Critical design is the development of non-obvious design concepts that challenge the existing conditions. This can be used to provoke new ideas for systems, products and services. Critical designs aren’t typically useful or commercially viable but may serve to inspire a leap forward in value with completely new ideas. This Project used critical design because it combined different theories to create a process of Self-reflection and Insight through the activity of self-portraiture. This is an innovate way to find solutions for students to think, decide and eventually act in a better way.
Although there was no guarantee that the project idea would be successful, I still felt it was necessary to try out the concept.
Critical Design
A design process helps the designer to shape and guide her work and thoughts to influence the results of a Project. I wanted to create something but was not sure of the process. I used a simple three-step design process to create my Project: What, How and Do. The “what” involved designing a process for students to practice Self-Reflection and Insight using Art as an activity. The “How” was more difficult: I had to reflect on different ways I could communicate to students, for an effective outcome. Eventually, through my own Self-reflection and Insight, I chose to use self-portraiture workshops as the means to achieve my objective. The “Doing” was organizing and facilitating a series of workshops, using each workshop to improve the next one, and obtaining feedback from participants to improve the overall process. As a result of the design process, I was able to develop an idea that could be used to improve the overall student experience, and help students experience a new practice, and ultimately, increase their well-being.
Design Process
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A prototype is a draft version of a product that allows you to explore your ideas and show the intention behind a feature or the overall design concept to users before investing time and money into development. I used prototyping through the series of workshops that I facilitated, with the first one allowing me to test the waters of the Self-reflection and insight through art process.
I also prototyped the art processes, practicing self-portraits using different art materials and supplies, and trying various simple restrictions to determine which ones could be helpful for
self-reflection and insight. Through trial and error, I was able to select the most useful paint (Tempera, as it is easy to paint with, is very intuitive, can be easily cleaned up and usually has lower levels of toxicity than other paints), and cartridge paper, a type of paper that can hold the humidity of the paint, even if water is added to it.
Prototyping
Questionnaire Development
A key method I used to collect further information from the target group, and to gather data for the project, was through a questionnaire, shared through social media (Facebook). I chose to include the questionnaire to measure
“The self-reflection and insight scale”, curated by A. Grant, J. franklin and P. Langford, which is a test designed to analyze Engagement in Self-reflection, Need for Self-Reflection and Insight. Because even if my project tackles some psychology issues and concepts, I am not qualified in this field, and taking on the responsibility to make up a questionnaire that would be insightful on this, would not give me as much benefits as adopting one from qualified people. I needed to add a few questions to make it relevant to my project and to gather creativity insights as well. I added questions regarding age, creativity and painting (and more generally hobbies). I noted the fact that the survey was not sponsored by or associated with the authors above.
I changed some instructions and added questions to achieve the goals of my research on the subject.
The questionnaire was a preliminary step to make sure my assumptions were correct, before
conducting the workshops, so the audience was the Växjö campus group of LNU students. This same target group was invited to the workshops.
I developed a questionnaire to “measure factors incorporated into a scale like those about
individual identities and different attributes, index and traits” and to move beyond my assumptions of what a student needs and meeting my target group. I needed a practical way to gather data and quick results with the possibility to scale the results and compare them, and a questionnaire allowed me to complete this task. I chose to share my questionnaire through social media
(Campus Växjö group), which connected me directly with over 8000 members of the
student target group.
Workshop Development
The workshops were a moment for participants to reflect and to look for insight in themselves. The first Workshop, which included three participants, was held with students from the Department of Design, to make a first try in a safe environment. It was a prototype that let me go back to the mindset of organizing and planning a workshop that makes sense with the concept as an introduction. For the participants it was a pleasant way to spend a Friday evening painting themselves, unwinding, and having a calm and interesting conversation with each other and me, as I took part in the exercise as well.. The first workshop, held on the 5th of April 2019, revealed a lot that could be improved for the second workshop. However, when the 26th of April workshop was held, no one came, which was quite a disappointment. The second workshop allowed me to focus on the gaps for advertising the workshops, and to improve the processes. The third and last workshop was held on the 29th of April, with three people attending. This series of workshops were progressive and iterative, to maximize the opportunity to come up with a well-structured experience both for the participants and myself.
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For all the three workshops I applied different ways to advertise the event. In the first wor- kshop I asked student of the Design Depart- ment to join on the same day, requesting for
their presence just a couple of hours before I planned the beginning time, as it was just a prototype and the participants were not the focus. In the second workshop, I sent emails to the list of people that answered the que-
stionnaire that I shared on the Facebook group “Växjö Campus” and the invitation I posted on the same group. I decided to send these invitations the day before the workshop to avoid invitees forgetting the date and time. As a result, nobody came to the workshop, so the invitation was probably sent too close to the actual time of the wor-
kshop. For the third workshop I created an event on Facebook and shared it on my pro-
file and the same group mentioned before, but I decided to post it two days before the workshop to give more time for people to read it. In addition to this I printed invitations to the workshop with the details of the plan and posted them around campus. For the last workshop, three people participated.
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Results
• 9 questionnaire responses
• People didn’t use the side of the scale strongly agree as much as strongly disagree
• Everyone was familiar with the terms self-reflec- tion and insight
• Everyone would paint if someone asks and most of them thought themselves as creative
• 4/9 gave the email address to be notified for the workshop, 1 showed up
The following results were observed from the final (third) workshop:
• Everyone was anxious to paint
• ¾ were surprised by the painting results
• Classical music helped with the ambience and decreased the conversations even though they did not completely stop
• Participants asked for a third exercise with no obstacle/limitation
• Answers from open questions? Further Develop- ment (What do you do with the results now that you have them)
• Work even more on the advertisement, more on sharing the concept to increase engagement
• Low participations from students of other depart- ments, only one person that wasn’t part of the Design Department
• Design department student being more intere- sted than others
• I believe because they knew the facilitator but also because the said that the felt the need to make and paint more because of their lack of making in their projects
• Self-reflection exercises could be added in the schedule for students and tutors
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Further Development
Although few students participated in the workshops, the results demonstrated the potential of the process of Self-reflection and Insight through self-portraiture to change students’ experience in a positive way. These results suggest that it would be possible to continue experimenting with the processes, involving more students, and continuing to study the results obtained in terms of Self-reflection and Insight over time. To accomplish this, it would be necessary to invite more students to participate in the workshops, to continue using questionnaires to gather more feedback on the results, and building a standardized format for the process. Once the results of this deeper investigation were available, LNU could determine that the process has benefits for students, and incorporate the workshops into the student experience on a voluntary basis.
For example, students interested in improving their capacity to self-reflect could sign up for a series of Self-portraiture workshops. Such workshops could be held throughout the Bachelors degree period, beginning soon after the students’ arrival at LNU, and continuing throughout the period of studies.
Students would be able to self-assess their progress in self-awareness and insight gathering over the three years. Students and faculty from the Psychology Department could also become involved, adding a scientific dimension to the process, adding to the body of knowledge in this
field.
Evaluation
Creativity is relevant in every field of work, as a means to address issues and solve problems by developing different perceptions and new insights.
For most people, however, harnessing creativity requires practice and training. The goal of my thesis Project was for others to experience how art
affects all of us, and is not only able to influence our moods and feelings, but also able to empower us to understand ourselves better, and helping us to interact with the environment. Using a workshop setting, I introduced participants to the tools of Self-reflection and Insight, two practices able to promote wellbeing. On the positive side, the workshop format allowed me to interact with participants, and by holding several of them, I was able to build on experiences to create the most useful and appropriate activities, offering
participants meaningful experiences, leading to the achievement of my goal. By carrying out three successive workshops, I gave participants the space and tools to explore their thoughts and to practice in a safe space without negative
consequences or judgement.
On the less positive side, the limited amount of time prevented me from continuing the process. Ideally, I would have continued to hold workshops at one or two month intervals, listening to the students’
experiences at various stages in their education, as they explored Self-reflection and Insight, and
became more experienced in painting self-portraits. This would have provided more evidence to respond to the research question. In addition, the small number of participants resulted in very few observations. With a greater number of participants in the workshops, and more
students responding to the questionnaire, I would have been able to gather more experiences and insights. The fact that students at LNU are extremely busy, especially towards the end of the semester made it difficult to involve a larger number of students in the process.
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Limitations /Opportunities
According to Tasha Eurich, it is proven that there is no relationship between self-reflection and insight, so thinking about ourselves does not necessarily mean that we know ourselves (Tasha Eurich, 2017).
Even if when talking about Self-reflection it is often just about the positive aspects, it is important to note that there is a good way to practice it and a less good way, which leads to high levels of anxiety, stress and depression caused by rumination (over analyzation of concept and/or distress). On the other hand, insight has shown fewer negative results. It was therefore vital for me to learn how to share these concepts and practices with workshop participants, in order to ensure that they had the right level of comprehension.
Despite my efforts, I faced several challenges when organizing the workshops. Firstly, it was difficult to predict how many people would participate in them. I found it hard to entice people to join the workshops, despite the use of “post-sharing” on social media (Facebook) and repeatedly asking people from LNU campus to join the workshops.
While the main purpose for holding the workshops was to share the concepts of Self-Reflection and Insight with the participants, and to guide them in the process of self-portraiture, I realized that they also provided a space for me to understand human behaviour and emotions, and to learn. I realized while facilitating the workshops that I was putting myself at risk of discovering that my proposed concept could turn out to be incorrect.
Despite this, I was willing and even anxious to proceed, because it gave me the opportunity to find out if this was in fact the result of combining painting with Self-Reflection. As a result, I now understand that taking risks is a vital element of design practice. Even when the outcome is completely unknown, it is by daring to complete a process that we truly achieve meaningful design.
In other words, it is only by risking to fail that we can ever truly succeed.
Conclusion
My project aimed to help students to adopt Self-reflection as a process, in combination with painting self-portraits. By holding workshops to paint self-portraits, I created a safe space to provide guidance and support to students to use art as a platform for Self-reflection and insight. My aim was for participants to create two works of arts: the first, a self-portrait painted without access to their own reflections, and the second, a self-portrait painted while staring at their reflection in a mirror for
prolonged period of time, using the non-dominant hand.
In the second exercise, the mirror represented the connection between one’s inner and outer self, based on the belief that, “there is a unique
psychological thing (event) that takes place when you look into your own eyes and face and paint your own portrait. Your own face suddenly becomes a mirror to your soul, the real you, and strange things happen as you paint”
(Gary O., 2017).
A mirror is a pure functional object, used daily by most of the population for a variety of reasons:
grooming, checking how a garment looks on the body, applying facial products, just to name a few.
But how often does a person look into a
mirror for no apparent reason? Humans generally act with purpose, and their actions have reasons.
Why would someone use a mirror if not to look at their appearance? Because using an everyday object may actually demonstrate cunning and inspiration. Doing so gives new perspectives and may actually cause and form new ideas and observations, especially when we turn a simple glass surface with some aluminum on one side into a different tool for Self-reflection. I learned that looking into a mirror could become a practice to introspection.
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Appendices
Tools
Facebook Event Invitation
Workshop 1
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Workshop 2
Exhibition Reflections
As I started to think about a way to display my work, I came across the realization that as my project was based on a practice, it was going to be hard to showcase it in an exhibition. From the presentation that we had at the end of March, about the process and realization of the thesis project, it was clear that just hanging the portraits was not going to be good enough, as I wanted the installation to be more engaging and more
profound.
‘Me, Myself and I’ is a project focused on self-reflection and insight, and the linking of these processes to the artistic practice of painting a self-portrait.
Workshops combining artistic expression and mindfulness were designed and facilitated with the aim of exploring the self-reflection and insight of students at Linnaeus University. Based on this short description I had multiple opportunities for my installation, but the main two ideas were clear. I either had to focus on the gatherings of the workshops, or on making the viewers experience the workshops firsthand, by making the experience possible on the spot. Unfortunately, neither of these options satisfied me, as I mentioned before, just the portraits was not going to be enough and the exhibition was not an appropriate space to hold the workshop, because with people walking around and chatting to each other it would have not been successful to open up and have an intimate experience there. I had to find another solution.
I was very inspired by the mirrors; the reflections had the potential to make countless different arrangements. I was influenced by my workshops, it made me realize how important the role of the mirrors was, they had such an important value in my work that I decided to use them as a focal point and use them in an investing collaboration with the portraits. Using both mirrors and portraits I could show what participants had achieved and I could give an opportunity to participants to use the mirrors in a different way.
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I was very hesitant to use the portraits received from the workshops
because even though they all
signed the permission slip, during the workshop, one of the core ideas that I repeated to the participants
was that the end result was not important to be successful but the process of self-reflection was. It seemed contradictory to say those things and then use the finished portraits to display. I decided to put also some of my own self-portraits from the prototyping process, to take the focus away to each individual portrait and focusing on the broader idea.
For the exhibition I wanted to go against my materials’ shape and break out of the 2-diamensional nature of the work. As I mentioned before, I believed that just hanging things would have made things excessively easy and not engaging at all. I wanted to use the shape of the materials to my advantage. Using as much space as possible. Hanging things from the ceiling was the natural solution to make it happen. The first ideas were around the subject of making obstacles with mirrors so that the viewer was forced to notice them like a small labyrinth. This idea wasn’t very doable as one of the regulations from Kulturparken was that every pathway must be of at least 1.20 meters to accommodate every type of wheelchair. For that reason, I decided to make a
“hallway” of mirrors. Two meters long and mirrors from the floor to the ceiling.
I came across a lot of different
challenges: where to buy the mirrors, how to mount them, how many I would need, etc.
I relied on IKEA to buy mirrors
because I wanted to be able to return the mirrors, as I
bought 32 mirrors 30x30 cm and it cost 632kr. Because I wanted to return them, it meant that to hang them I couldn’t use any glue that would leave a mark nor that I could make holes in them. At first I though that I could tie the mirrors strong enough with fishing wire to withstand at least 3kg (the weight of 4
mirrors), but it didn’t seem safe and I later found out that the fishing wire stretches when it is put under
stress over a prolonged period of time. I opted to use metal wire and frames made of plywood, using 13 mirrors each side (3 columns of 3 mirrors and 1 of 4 mirrors). To make the installation and the location in the space complement each other I believed that the best place to put it was in the corridor next to the
stairs. It was the best location
because in that way the viewers were
“forced” to walk into my exhibition to reach the other half of the space and so that people could see the other side of the mirrors with the self
portrait from the stairs. The realization of the installation was very challen- ging, I was very worried about the possibility of the wire to brake, even if it is a very strong material that can hold much heavier things.
I really enjoy the final result of what the installation looks like, I was a continuous compromising and
changing of plans to make my ideas buildable without making it too boring. It was also the first time I ever built an exhibition for my own work only, where I had to make all the decisions. It was a pretty good
opportunity that I will cherish greatly.
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References
Edwards, Betty. 1999. “The new drawing on the right side of the brain.” Penguin Putnam Inc.
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